Physical-culture apparatus



Feb. 4, 1930 B. M. MENSENDIECK 1,745,435

PHYSICAL CULTURE APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15. 1926 +61 H R NEY Patented Feb. 4 1930 A; UN TED STATES PATENT oer-res BESS M. MENSENDIECK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PHYSICAL-CULTURE APPARATUS Application filed October 15, 1926, Serial No.

My invention relates to apparatus for use I lustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described more fully,

hereinafter.

In the drawings, which are somewhat diagrammatic in character,

, 2o Fig. 1 isa front' elevation, the front and rear body supports omitted;

i Fig. 2.is' a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus, Fig. 4; is a perspective view of same, 25. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a suitable form of exercise counting or registering device and.

.Fig. 6'is a side elevation thereof. j Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. The apparatusvis mounted onand secured to a base plate 1, made from any suitable material. on this". base plate 1, are mounted four. uprights'2, which are preferably tubular in form. These four uprights 2 are mounted in pairs on two connectingpieces 3, oneon eitherside ofthe base plate 1, and are so spaced thereon as to permit an arm of the person using the apparatus toipas's freely be tween each pair of uprights 2. Each conto thebase plate so that the two pairs of up rights 2 may be adjusted relatively to each other to set them such a' distance apart as to p'ermitthe user ofthe apparatus to step between the two pairs of uprights 2. Thus, the size of the user ofthe apparatus deter mines the required amount oflateral adjustmer t of the connecting pieces uprights 2, in the guideways 4. I I to .C'nr'vilinear or D-shaped members 5, 6,are

linear or hoop-shaped 'necting piece 3 slides in guideways'i attached 3, carrying the 141,740, and in Germany November 20, 192 5.

secured to the uprights 2. Each of these curvilinear members 5, 6, is provided at its lower end with a straight rod section 7, which slidingly fits into the respective upright 2, so

that bytelescoping the same in or out, the members 5, 6, may be vertically adjusted accordingto the height of the person using the apparatus, and are locked in the adjusted position by set screws 8. The vertical adjustment of these curvilinear members 5, 6, is preferably such that the point where the rodlixe extension 7 is attached to the respective curvilinear member 5 or 6 will be in a line with the wrist when the hand is touching the thigh with the arm hanging straight down.

Another method of determining quickly whether the right vertical adjustment is secured is to see whether the center of the armpit coincides approximately with the center from which the semicircles of the lateral curvilinear members 5, 6, are struck. Two equidistant curvilinear or D-shaped members 5, 6, extend to either side of the user of the apparatus, the distance separatin the curvimembers being determined by the spacing of the uprights 2 on their connecting pieces 3. The two rear curvilinear or D-shaped members 6 are adapted to be closed at the top by a straight tubular and slidable connecting I member 9, which keeps the D-shaped members the same distance apart as the distance separating the laterally adjustable pairs of uprights 2.

The extensions 7 of the two front uprights 2 as seen by the user of the apparatus when he has stepped between the uprights, have secured to them two additional similar curvilinear or D-shaped members 10 extending in a forward direction and at right angles to the twov front curvilinear members 5, the manner of attachment being the same for the front laterally extending curvilinear mem-,

bers 5'and the forwardly extending curvilinear member 10.

Further, two body supports 11, 12, are secured to the base platel, one at the forward end and the other at the rearward end thereof. These supports 11, 12, are adapted to turn at their bottom ends about pivots 13, and are telescopically adjustable so that they justed position by means of set screws 16, they may be swung towards the body of the person by turning them about their pivots 13, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, so that the movable and suitably triangular head plate 15 of the front support 11 comes into contact with the abdomen oflthe person beneath the navel, whereas the similar rear support plate 15 comes into contact with the persons seat, the edges of both plates 15 being suitably curved or bent back. Suitable means,

such as lock nuts or the like, may be provided for preventing the supports 11, 12 from turning about their bottom pivots 13 after said supports have been swung into position against the body."

The person, after having stepped between the uprights, drops the arms straight down so that the hands rest against the thighs. The arms are now raised in a forward direction until they are lifted up vertically above the head. While thus raising the arms, the

hands slide along the front curvilinear members 10, preventing the arms from being deflected laterally. 'Thereupon the arms are swung downwardly from their raised position so that they hang down again with the hands touching the thighs. During this downward movement of the arms, the same are forced to travel between the two lateral pairs of curvilinear members 5, 6, thus preventing same from being deflected from their prescribed course either in a forward or rearward direction. The plates 14' of the supports l1, l2, ensure that the abdomen and the seat remain in their drawn-in position during the exercises.

Various attachments, such as bells and other indicators, as well as exercise-counting devices, may be provided on the apparatus. In one form of the invention, this indicator may talrethe form of a small bell 17 (Fig. 2) which is attached to the plate 1 1 in such manner that, should the user of the exercising device push out his abdomen involuntarily while doing the exercise, this movement of the abdomen will react upon the plate 1 and cause the bell to ring, thereby drawing the attention of the user to the fact that his abdomen is in the wrong position for the proper carrying out of the exercises.

,A form of the exercise counting device is shown byway of example at 18 in Figures 1 and 1 and more in detail in Figs.- 5 and 6. The same comprises a casing 18 secured by means of a clip 19 and clamping screws 20 for instance to one of the'curvilinear memhereinbefore'may be modifiedwithout departing from'the scope of the spirit of my invention; so, forfinstance, one of the pairs of curvilinear arm guiding members might The details of the apparatus described be omitted, depending upon the nature of the exercises to be performed with the aid of the apparatus. V

In the claim, movement guiding means, I mean guiding means shaped to correspond to the path of movement of a limb, such as the parts 5 shaped to correspond to the path of movement of the arm, and I do not mean stationary devices for pressing against a limb, such by the expression limb as are used'in devices for correcting bow leggedness. V v I g Having thus described my invention, I claim w I c 1. A physical culture apparatus, including a support and limb movement guiding means on said support, forming a stationary path of curvilinear character, whereby the user may follow said path with parts ofhis body to exercise said parts.

2. A physical culture apparatus, comprising a support and a plurality of D-shaped limb movement guide members on said support. I 3

3. A physical culture apparatus, comprising a support and a plurality of curvilinear limb movement: guide members on said support. w

*4. A physical culture apparatus, comprising in combination a vertically adjustable tubular structure,mounted on laterally 'acl j ustable uprights and consisting of two parallel pairs-of-lateral curvilinear guide members and two forwardly extending similar curvi:

linear guide members arranged at right angles to the front pair of-said lateral curvilinear guide members so as to guide the move} ments of the arms of the person using the apparatus inprescribed paths, andgtwo adjustable supports, mounted on a base which the other for holding the seat of the user of the apparatus in a retracted positionduring the exercises. 7

5. A physicalculture apparatus, comprisalso carriesthe uprights for the vertically adjustable tubular structure, one of said sup-- ports serving for holding the abdomen and.

ing in combination a base plate, four uprights moi-intedthereon in pairs, on two laterally j ustable, curvilinear member, said curvilinear members being arranged to form two pairs of equidistant lateral arm guides and two forwardlyextending curvilinear arm-guidlng members attached vertically adj ustably to the two front uprightsand at right angles to the front pair of lateral arm-guiding members,

and two pivotally mounted and telescopically adjustable bent body supports mounted on the forward and rearward ends respectively of the base plate, one for holding the abdomen and the other for holding the seat of the user of the apparatus in an indrawn position during the performance of the exercises.

'6. A physical culture apparatus, comprising in combination a base plate, four tubular uprights'mounted thereon in pairs on two laterally disposed, connecting pieces adapted to slide laterally in guidewayson the base plate, extension members intelescoping connection with sa1d uprights, each extension member carrying a curvilinear member, said curvilinear members forming two parallel pairs of both vertically and laterally adjustable lateral arm guides, two additional forwardly extending arm guides attached to the vertically adjustable extensions of the front pair of uprights at right angles to the front pair of lateral arm guides and vertically adjustable therewith, a slidable member for adjustably connecting the tops of the two rear Y lateral arm guides, and two pivotally mounted body supports arranged at the forward and V the rearward ends respectively of the base,

said supports consisting of bent, pivotally mounted, extensible tubular members carrying pivotally adjustable head plates for COIM- inginto contact with the abdomen and the I seat respectively of the user of the apparatus to hold these parts in their indrawn position during the exercises. y

7. A physical culture apparatus, comprising in combination a vertically adjustable, arch-shaped tubular frame forming a gateway and consisting of two parallel pairs of curvilinear members mounted on uprights and extending'laterally therefrom, andof two forwardly extending similar curvilinear members mounted on the two front uprights and forming right angles with the two front lateral curvilinear members so as to guide the farms of a person standing between the two parallel lateral pairs of curvilinear members in paths prescribed by the two lateral pairs of curvilinear members and by the pair of forwardly extending curvilinear members,

a bent supporting arm mounted forwardly on a base plate andadapted to contact with the abdomen, and a similar bent supporting arm arranged in the rear and adapted to contact with the seat of the body of the person using the apparatus so as to hold these parts in their proper retracted position during the having their edges bent backwards.

8. An apparatus for guiding the arms while performing physical exercises, comprising a vertically adjustable tubular framework, consisting of curvilinear members mounted on adjustable uprights on a base plate and forming paths for the movements of the arms, adjustable front and rear body supports mounted on said base plate and means associated with the apparatus for giving audible indications when parts of the body are in the wrong position for the proper carrying out of the exercises.

9. In a physical culture apparatus, a vertically adjustable frame formed of lateral curvilinear arm-guiding members mounted on uprights, and of forwardly extending, vertically adjustable curvilinear arm-guiding members extending at right angles to said lateral arm guides.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, comprising in addition forward and rearward adjustable body supports mounted on a base plate which also carries the uprights.

11. A physical culture apparatus including a support and guiding means on said support forming a stationary path of predetermined character, so that the user may follow said path and comprising in addition attachments secured to the guiding means for counting the number of exercises.

12. A physical culture apparatus, including a support and adjustable semi-circular guiding means telescopically mounted on said support and forming a stationary path of a predetermined character for guiding the movements of the arms during the exercises.

13. A physical culture apparatus comprising a support and a plurality of adjustable curvilinear guiding means each provided at its lower end with a straight-rod section mounted on and adapted to telescope in or out of said support for keeping the exercising movements of the arms within predetermined stationary paths formed by said curvilinear guiding means.

g 14. A physical culture apparatus including a support and telescopically adjustable guiding means on said support forming a stationary path of a predetermined character for guiding the movements of the arms during the exercises and telescopically adjustable arms also arranged on said support for guiding and determining the correct position of the abdomen and buttocks during the exercises.

In testimony whereof, I hereto affix my 

